Dedicated to protecting the interests of residents and business owners in the City of Beaumont California by shedding light on local government and challenging our local officials to lead with integrity, transparency and accountability.

Latest News from beaumontgate.org

BCVWD/Morongo Tribe Sewer Plant Manager John Covington stated that the Tribe has no written Agreement with the City for Recycled Water.

The October 25, 2018, Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District Agenda contained several Items of importance.

Grant Writer: The Water District is paying $50,000/year for a Grant Writer, which is like your front pocket paying to find money in your back pockets.

Bogart Park: Riverside County has 12 years left on it’s lease, but no longer wants to be responsible for Bogart Park in Cherry Valley. The County is wiling to give $100,000/year for upkeep and the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Parks and Recreation District is willing to take care of the Park. Part of the Park is owned by the Water District.

Water Re-Use 2 x 2 w/City of Beaumont: Water District Manager Dan Jaggers is attempting to make an Agreement with the City to receive its Title 22 Compliant Recycled Water. However, the Water District’s need to spend any more money preparing to receive Beaumont’s Recycled Water is predicated on the City producing Title 22 Compliant Recycled Water.

State Law requires the Water District to have a natural 20-year supply of water before they issue a ‘Will-Serve’ Letter to provide water to the house. In 1994 the City of Beaumont and the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District signed an Agreement that the Water District would give the City unlimited Will-Serve Letters in exchange for Recycled Water.

The Water District fulfilled their end of the Agreement and allowed Beaumont to build thousands of houses, but the City of Beaumont never built its Recycled Water Facility.

For years the City claimed to have a ‘state of the art recycled water facility’, but it was all a lie. When the SARI Brine Line was constructed in 2007 Beaumont refused to participate because Brine is the byproduct of recycled water and the City had no recycled water facility or Brine to dispose of.

The Water District has installed purple pipes to distribute the recycled water, but the City was never able to produce Title 22 Compliant Recycled Water.

In 2013 pressure was building for the City of Beaumont to produce recycled water. Kapanicas solved his problems by canceling the 1994 Agreement with the Water District and offering its imaginary recycled water directly to the Morongo Tribe and cutting out the Water District.

An Agreement to sell Beaumont’s Recycled Water to the Tribe was on the Agenda, but it was pulled and was never voted on by Council. The Tribe never had a written agreement to receive Beaumont’s recycled water, but the City kept stringing along the Tribe.

At the November 2, 2016, Sewer Workshop, Morongo Tribe Chairman Robert Martin stated that the City promised its recycled water to the Tribe and they wanted the recycled water by the end of the year.

Now, 1/4 century after the original Agreement was never fulfilled, the Water District is attempting to make another Agreement with the City to receive its recycled water. When asked about the Tribe’s Agreement with the City to receive the recycled water BCVWD/Morongo Tribe Sewer Plant Manager John Covington stated that the Tribe has no written Agreement with the City, so it appears that the Tribe is ‘out’.

Does the Tribe know that they’re not receiving recycled water for the golf courses, or does the Water District plan to sell the Ratepayers’ recycled water to the Tribe?

The recycled water will be produced from water purchased by the BCVWD Ratepayers. It is not the City’s recycled water to sell nor is it the Water District’s recycled water to sell. The water and recycled water byproduct belongs to the Water District Ratepayers and Property Owners that pay for Imported Table A State Water.

The golf courses have their own well and do no purchase water or Table A Imported Water from the State. If the Tribe would like recycled water they must join the Water District, relinquish their water rights, and pay for Imported Table A Water like everyone else.

But the bigger problem is that Beaumont already claims to have recycled water on their 1996, 2001, and 2018 Bonds. There’s no reason why Beaumont can’t produce Title 22 Compliant recycled water except that the City Council keeps hiring a bunch of crooks that forge government documents and steal all the money instead of building the facility.

Beaumont City Council Workshop Transcript November 2, 2016:

2:05:00 Chairman Robert Martin from the Morongo Tribe: As one of the City’s largest landowners with more than 500 acres and a regional business owner with over 500 employees who are Beaumont Residents; Morongo has a vested interest in working with each of you so that together we can bring jobs, prosperity, and environmental stewardship to the City of Beaumont. That’s why we’ve been working with the City for the past five years on an Agreement to use Recycled Water on our Golf Courses instead of potable water. In this time of drought; it’s clearly the right thing to do from an environmental perspective. In fact, golf courses and others across the Coachella Valley and Southern California are making the switch from potable water to recycled water. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to visit Turkwet Golf Course, but you’ll notice there are a lot of brown areas. The reason for that is because we cut back 25% on watering.

2:06:00 Martin: That was a goal that the Governor set and we were able to meet it, but that hasn’t effected the Course. As I understand it; the choice before Council this week is to either keep control of your own wastewater treatment or pay approximately double and hand over control to another Agency. Not only do I think the first option is better for Beaumont and the Taxpayers, but from Morongo’s perspective; we have a longer history and working relationship with Beaumont and would prefer to work directly with you. If the Council decides to keep its treatment plant, and Morongo hopes you do, then we would like to respectfully request the Council directly City Staff to complete the Agreement we have been working on with you for the last five years by the end of this year; replacing potable water with recycled water.

2:07:00 Martin: We strongly believe it’s in the best interest of the City, Morongo, and the Public. It’s been done in other communities. It’s cost effective and more importantly; it’s the right thing to do to protect potable water. That’s a precious resource.